secret sauce
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of secret sauce
From a so-called sauce for hamburgers whose ingredients are a closely held secret
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This must be part of the secret sauce — Wyatt’s dedication and consistency.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
And the secret in the secret sauce of HRT is estrogen.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
In the 2000s, derivatives created from subprime mortgages were accorded top credit ratings; now, the so-called illiquidity premium on portfolios of loans to small and midsize private companies is considered their secret sauce.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
"The major differentiator was starting with a clean sheet of paper. That was the secret sauce," explains Mr Hogan.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
“The secret sauce is, ‘Do you have, for your company, data?’
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
